🔍 Overview A distinctive dabbling duck with a comically large bill, found widely in Sussex in winter and during passage. 🪶 Key Identification Features Large spatula-shaped bill Male: green head, white breast, chestnut flanks Feeds by sweeping bill side-to-side 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Found in Pulborough Brooks, Goring Gap, Brighton Marina, and Brooklands, mainly September–May....
🔍 Overview A striking green parrot with a growing presence in Sussex, especially around urban parks and gardens. Scarce introduced resident; has bred. 🪶 Key Identification Features Bright green plumage Long pointed tail Male: pink and black neck ring Loud, squawky flight call 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Established in parts of Brighton, Crawley, and Eastbourne,...
🔍 Overview A winter thrush from Scandinavia. Redwings arrive in Sussex around October and often form flocks with Fieldfares. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium (21 cm) Plumage: Brown back, pale belly with streaks Markings: Bold white eyebrow and red underwing flanks Flight: Fast and flitting 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Winters in hedgerows, orchards, fields,...
🔍 Overview A small, elusive bird that visits Sussex in summer. More often heard than seen. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size of a starling Brown with striped back and pale belly Short-tailed and rounded wings 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Prefers long grass and arable fields in warm summers. Unpredictable but has been recorded on the...
🔍 Overview A powerful seabird seen offshore during migration. Rare but regular in Sussex seawatches. Passage migrant in variable numbers in spring; usually scarce; very scarce in autumn; rare in winter. 🪶 Key Identification Features Bulky skua with two twisted tail feathers in adults Pale, dark, or intermediate plumages Barrel-chested and aggressive 🗺️ Habitat &...
An elusive summer visitor, the Nightjar haunts heathland and woodland clearings, emerging at dusk. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Medium (26–28 cm)Plumage: Cryptic grey-brownDistinctive Marks: White wing spots (male), long wingsBill: Short but wideTail: LongFlight: Silent, fluttering 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Heathland and conifer plantations—especially Pulborough and Iping Common. 🎶 Voice & Behaviour Unmistakable “churring” trill...
🔍 Overview An introduced species from Asia, now thriving in parts of Sussex. Arguably the most ornamental duck in Britain. 🪶 Key Identification Features Male: Bright orange sail-like feathers, ornate and multicoloured Female: Subtly patterned grey with white eye-ring Small and short-tailed 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Resident in wooded lakes and slow rivers like Arundel...
🔍 Overview A secretive and nocturnal owl, best located by winter roosts. Uncommon but present year-round in Sussex. 🪶 Key Identification Features Slim owl with long ear tufts Orange eyes and streaky plumage Often mistaken for a tree branch when roosting 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Breeds in conifer plantations and roosts communally in dense scrub....
🔍 Overview A summer breeder on Sussex’s shingle beaches, the Little Tern is small, agile, and highly vocal. 🪶 Key Identification Features Size: Very small tern (22–24 cm)Plumage: Pale grey above, white belowDistinctive Marks: White forehead patch, yellow bill with black tipBill: Slender and pointedTail: ForkedFlight: Agile, hovers before diving 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Seen off...
🔍 Overview A dainty wader that breeds on bare, stony ground. Summer visitor and breeder in parts of Sussex. 🪶 Key Identification Features Sandy brown upperparts, white belly Bright yellow eye-ring Smaller and darker than Ringed Plover 🗺️ Habitat & Distribution Breeds at gravel pits, reservoirs, and quarries, including Arlington Reservoir and Rye Harbour. 🎶...
